Wednesday, May 30, 2007

How To Quickly And Easily House Train Your Puppy

Today we are going to look at one of the most effective tools for housetraining a puppy, in the shortest amount of time possible. In order to housetrain your puppy quickly you have to truly understand what makes him tick, what mother nature has hard wired into his brain. Few new pet owners can argue that one of the most frustrating and unpleasant parts of welcoming a puppy as a new member of the family is housetraining him. And after a couple or more "accident around the house, it can bring you to the end of your rope very quickly

One of the most effective tools I have used in housetraining my puppies is using a crate. You see all dogs are den animals. They will instinctively seek out resting spots that are secure and sheltered. That is why you will typically find your pooch lying under tables, beds and resting in a closet. They are simply following thousands of years of instinct. So, by using a crate we can take advantage of this benefit mother nature gave us to make this rather unpleasant task of housetraining your puppy much more bearable. Yes, I can hear all the animal lovers out there shouting "this is cruel to stuff your pet into such a confined area.

But hold on. Let's look at it from the dog's perspective shall we. Remember he is a den dwelling animal. When he becomes tired, frightened or is simply looking for cover he will always seek out den like shelter. And you will find that he will very quickly adopt his "crate" as his own den within your home. So how does this help us to housetrain our puppy? Simple, his den becomes his most personal place, his warm bed, his cozy, relaxing getaway. The last place he is going to take care of business is in his crate. This is so effective when you use it to your advantage.

A puppy has little or no bladder control. It's just like humans when we were babies. The puppy needs to learn what it feels like to have a full bladder, and then to respond by letting his owner know when he wants to go outside. We can easily accomplish this by confining him in his crate for longer periods of time each and every day. He may have an accident initially but after that he will catch on fast. After all, the last place he wants to go to the bathroom is in his bed and personal space.

What kind of crate should you get? There are a number of different types of crates available. But it usually boils down to two basic types. The plastic type crate, these are very durable and easy to clean. The wire crate type, these simply look like an oversized birdcage. Wire cages are easy to transport as they will fold up into a more compact space. But they are all so very open. You may have to cover the cage with a blanket to give a "shelter type" of feeling for your pooch when he's inside.

Using the crate on a consistent basis helps your puppy develop a regular and predictable schedule for elimination. And the biggest benefit is to you the pet owner, because the learning curve of this technique is surprisingly fast. Have you ever imagined how much easier your life is going to be not having to clean up any more surprises around the house? What's it going to be like when most of the frustration of housetraining a puppy will be gone, and you can concentrate on the joys of what a family pet can really bring to every member of the household?